The place will not be "warmed to 76". It will be cooled to 76 and this type of reporting is clearly one faced. This demand makes sense especially if "Mr. Cuomo is famous for preferring to make his public appearances in deeply chilled conditions".
She's obviously showing him that this debate will not conducted around his demands, or any other male that chooses to dress for winter weather in the summer and then demand chilling temperatures.
Any woman in any office can agree that this is an actual problem and demands, yes even on temperature, should be heard from both parties.
5
Perhaps with the thermostat set to 76, this could be Cuomo’s Nixon moment?
2
To all those that claimed the room would get too hot, if the thermostat is working and set at 76, when the room warms up with the advent of the crowd, it will still stay at 76. Shame on you guys that want to make this into a sexist or feminine race. Ms. Nixon probably has more experience and knowledge in government as an activist than Donald Trump has...and we let him be president. The race is candidate vs. candidate, not woman vs. man.
Why don't y'all just wait and see how the debates turn out when she is given a wider platform?
4
“He likes to spitball with staff and study how to frame his policy achievements. As far back as 1996, Mr. Cuomo was part of the team that advised Vice President Al Gore on debate preparation.”
The unintended comedy. Hilarious. Sad. Pathetic.
2
Cuomo: “America was never that great.”
Nixon: “Yeah, but we sure make great air conditioning.”
1
if this is petty then Cuomo shouldn't care either. But he does. Maybe 76 is simply her starting point for the negotiations. Compromise.
2
Not being a NY resident, I am despondent over not being able to view these debates. I think if they were scheduled to be shown nationally in their entirety, many American voters who have long sat in their seats on election day might begin to realize that down-ticket candidates often influence the outcome of national elections, and that each and every person who decides not to vote or divide a party by third party voting, are those who have given us the Afghan and Iraqi wars, and the devastation of Donald Trump.
As to the temperature? It is not a frivolous request. I seldom eat out at restaurants any more unless they have an outdoor terrace and the climate is moderate. The bone-chilling AC in most corporate offices are detrimental to our health and mental processes, and the restaurants' often beautiful offerings by creative chefs lose their impact when they are cold 5 minutes after arriving on your table.
Wish Ms. Nixon could be cloned and run in ALL the states to give so many of us a chance to clean out the closets and shake up the establishment in a way that would be productive so that we could escape the chaos of Trump.
4
Seriously? This is what she thinks is important?
3
"Notoriously sexist when it comes to room temperature?!?!" Yes, Andrew Cuomo is a true misogynist …. said NO ONE!
1
Cynthia Nixon? Is that the best the Opposition could do in the entire state of New York?
4
This debate is being held in a hall full of lighting, sound, and broadcast equipment, not to mention a large number of warm human bodies, some under stress. It is essentially a studio space, and Ms. Nixon, as an actress, knows full well that 76 is not cool enough for a fully equipped studio with lights blazing, on one of the hottest days of the year.
This is obviously an attempt to make Cuomo uncomfortable. While I have no problems with that, I do have a problem with Nixon calling the temperature setting "sexist."
Now, I am female, mixed race, middle aged, slightly overweight, and perimenopausal. I am hot all the time. I need to keep a fan on at my desk at work year round, summer and winter, while everyone else I work with--male and female-- is wearing a sweater. Is my office ageist? Racist? Weightist?
I intend to vote for Nixon, but this is a cheap shot. I'm sure in the course of the debate Cuomo will offer up plenty of examples of genuinely sexist behavior. This kind of silliness only serves to detract from the real thing when it raises its ugly head.
3
Hardly a cheap shot. The science is there. Women’s metabolisms work at a lower rate than men’s do, so they are generally less affected by surrounding high temperatures. In addition, women’s typical clothing is somewhat seasonal, eliminating the need for compensating with air conditioning. Since the effect of colder settings disproportionately affects women, lower temperature environments are effectively sexist. That fact is reinforced by the misogynistic tone of at least one commenter here who suggested that when men can eliminate button down shirts and wear shorts to work, then women can demand the appropriate level of a/c. Women shouldn’t have to act to accommodate men.
3
So much hot air already.
After reading the comments, how about a temperature compromise, and get on with the debate.
3
Perhaps she can simply wear a businesslike suit with jacket, or a sweater. The alternative is Cuomo in a cap sleeved silk blouse. Cynthia, be reasonable.
7
Why should she have to accommodate Cuomo? That’s the height of male privilege.
4
Governor Cuomo's preference for "deeply chilled" conditions that require wasteful electricity use is of a piece with his actions that do not measure up to his rhetoric as a champion of action on climate change. Lower thermostat settings on hot summer days strain the electricity grid and increase air pollution and carbon emissions from fossil fuel powered generation needed to meet peak demand. Similarly, he has neglected our public transit system that avoids as transport-related greenhouse gas emissions equal to ALL GHG emissions emitted by San Francisco, while touting investments in infrastructure that will INCREASE traffic and transit emissions: LaGuardia Airport, the Tappan Zee bridge and a wider Van Wyck expressway.
His personal and policy preferences also show how out of touch he is with the needs of low-income New Yorkers. Many of them depend on our disgracefully decrepit public transit system to access jobs and services. Others swelter through heat waves, unable to afford air conditioning or the electric bills to run them.
Meanwhile, our governor models a style ill-adapted to climate change: a suit and tie in a refrigerated office.
11
In this office the temp is a daily issue. Oy vey. And it is not just due to gender---it primarily involves race. One employee is Japanese, two are Indian, one Jamaican and one is from Ecuador. Needless to say, they all prefer warmer temps--in fact, two of them feel that there should be no air conditioning at all. Most of the WASPs among us prefer cooler temps. The new "open office" concept eliminated cubicles, so everyone is a few feet from each other, and exposed to the same temps.
We have tried the wisdom of Solomon in cutting the baby in half. The temp is set at 72 deg F. Unfortunately, the outcome of this is that now no one is happy, as 72 deg F is either 4 deg too cold or 4 deg F too warm. There are eleven people in here, and all but two have a fan going or are wearing a sweater. So be it, unless a single race occupies the room, there will never be resolution.
9
Three men in a-room or was it a stall where two have fallen? Hammer him on the Moreland Commission, Buffalo Billions pay to play and his “brother/fixer”. Everyone around Cuomo is heading to the klink. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire and no need for baseless accusations. The corrupt bargains that define Albany require a thorough purge. Time for a start fresh with Ms. Nixon and cleanse the cupboards!
1
I am an office manager and must deal with this issue every day. Here are the facts: Yes, women prefer a higher temperature and men prefer a lower temperature. However, a person can get warmer by wearing a sweater. A person cannot get cooler, unless he takes his shirt off and carries a fan around. Women in my office insist on wearing skirts, tank tops, and sandals, and then have the audacity to tell me that "it's too cold." This is not a sexism issue. It's a thermodynamics issue.
10
@chris If they are too cold tell them to wear more clothing. I'm currently sitting at my desk on August 28th in a sweater, an undershirt, pants, and close-toed shoes. I have a space heater sitting on my desk 6 inches away from me because if I didn't I would be shivering uncontrollably. My boss insists on keeping the office at 68 or below because he is too warm otherwise. In the winter I will turn my space heater up to the maximum setting and I will need to add additional layers for doing things away from my desk like faxing or going to the bathroom. I cannot help it that I am skinny and have no insulation and less muscle mass. It would be nice if my boss could invest in some fans and we could split the difference so the women in my office aren't completely miserable.
3
The fact that this is an "issue" is mind-bogglingly puerile. This is what happens when an actor runs for public office. Crime, schooling, public housing - who can focus on those issues when the room is too cold?
12
The concern could have been more artfully put, but as a woman who's suffered in freezing offices all her life, I certainly know what Nixon meant about the temperature being "sexist."
As another reader noted, the real story is Cuomo's insistence on certain conditions before agreeing to debate.
12
76 degrees, eh? Good luck with maintaining that. As a retired HVAC engineer who had a TV studio as as one of my tenants, whatever the temperature of the soundstage is at the start of the debate, it will be MUCH Hotter by the end.
It's all about the TV lights and the extreme heat they generate, the moment they're turned on.
By the debate's end, they'll both be melting. Might be worth watching, just to witness that.
8
Fans help.
Men’s clothing needs to evolve. Less synthetic fabrics,dark colors, & greater wearing of lightweight, breathable fabrics like linen, cotton & seersucker.
6
Men already look sloppy enough in the office. Don’t give them any ideas.
1
Here's the deal with temperature: Skinny people like it warm, those who are well insulated with more meat on their bones like it cooler. That's it!
4
Cuomo is all the worst attributes of the Democratic party rolled into one person: smug, corrupt, double-talking, condescending -- and bought out by his rich donors.
He needs to lose, and lose now.
7
Why would you want to debate in a room that was heated to 76 degrees?
That's a bit warm for a debate. If you're saying that rooms don't need to feel arctic so that men can wear suits and ties and look cool and collected, I get it. But if you're saying that a room has to be heated to 76• to make all woman comfortable, that's certainly not correct.
8
In the summer, a room is not warmed to 76 degrees. It is cooled to 76 degrees.
8
Why aren’t we hearing either candidate lecturing us on how they are going to lower our taxes? Where is all this money coming from to fund all those wonderful projects and programs they are espousing? New York State is not just NYC! Outside the city, single family homeowners are struggling to keep their homes because of the extremely high taxes. The current system is unsustainable and that is why 200,000 people flee New York every year. Neither candidate is speaking about real tax relief to us poor folk outside the city.
5
If I may, I'd like to comment on this room temperature kerfuffle as follows:
I'd prefer that Andrew Cuomo not be the president of the United States.
15
I urge all NY State residents who feel
that they are not paying enough taxes to vote for Cynthia Nixon because all of those freebies that she is offering are guaranteed to make your NYS taxes go up
5
I think the real story here is whether Cuomo actually insisted on that all his terms be met before he would agree to a debate and what those terms were (and I mean format, length, location, mediators, etc., not room temperature and whether the candidates are standing or sitting). May we have that story, please?
(On temperature-gate, I think standards of dress for men, requiring suit jackets and ties in the summer, are equally as sexist as basing the idea of what a comfortable temperature is on the physique of the average man, which is apparently where 72 degrees comes from. And if we are going to argue heating and cooling, let's focus not on this trivia but on the issue of fuel consumption and the effects on the environment.)
5
Always bring a sweater even when it’s 99 degrees outside. The ac in most establishments is too cold.
9
I'm a straight male. My wife insists on cranking the AC down to sub-zero. I'm cold. So much for sexism.
7
@Doofis
What does being straight have to do with this?
5
@Beth - it's not a political comment - he's married to a woman and pointing out their temperature preferences. Relax.
2
@RE
That can be conveyed without pointing out his sexual orientation.
"Bunkered" is a horrible word choice, and if you're going to use it remember it's transitive, and needs an object. "Bunkered down" would do, but frankly "hunkered down" is probably more descriptive. Or you could choose clarity and say "secluded with their advisors in prep sessions."
5
For those who don't believe there is sexism in workplace temperature settings, it is indeed true and has been reported over the years, including in this newspaper. Just google it. There's a reason you'll find a sweater or shawl draped over most women's office chairs.
6
I am a woman and like the a/c set between 68-70.
6
@mt - maybe it has more to do with what men and women are wearing. A knee-length sleeveless linen summer dress vs. a suit and tie and long sleeved shirt?
2
@RE
You're ignoring the fact that dress codes incorporate gender expectations, which are often sexist. Women frequently feel pressure to wear clothing that is more revealing, less practical, and more expensive than what men wear.
I tend toward being cold, but 76 degrees?! For a debate? Is she going to be naked? That's just weirdly hot.
And as a feminist, this is silly and disapointing. Take a sweater.
16
Her concern may be for the audience. Bring sweaters for all of them?
@Betsy - how many people really set AC at 76 degrees other than for energy conservation? It seems pretty warm.
Is the level of lighting more or less sexist than the temperature?
2
I can think of no politician who is more detestable and incompetent than this guy. The subways, for which he is responsible, stink, the streets are crowded with Uber-like vehicles used by people seeking viable alternatives, his Billion Dollar Buffalo initiative is an expensive bust, and look at the horrible job he did when he headed HUD where practically, single-handedly causing the mortgage and housing crises of the last decade. How are the new casinos doing?
https://www.villagevoice.com/2008/08/05/andrew-cuomo-and-fannie-and-fred...
This whining miscreant has had the job of governor for almost 8 years. How are we better off now? The man has not ever done anything right.
I went to a Cynthia Nixon rally last week just to hear what's going on. I disagreed with almost everything she said but I will vote for her in the primary just to get rid of this guy.
It's as simple as ABC - Anybody But Cuomo!
9
@MIKEinNYC
This is the type of reasoning that gave us Trump. Such visceral hatred often leads to the collapse of reason.
11
I'm sorry but the line stating that setting a room temperature is sexist made me laugh. No one said you had to wear a skirt or a dress to a debate. If Nixon wants to where a button-up shirt with dress pants, go ahead. We're not stopping you.
3
The governor should bring her a sweater, she should accept it with grace, and then they should get on with it.
2
Andy Cuomo's rich backers have bought him so many millions of dollars of airtime for his slick ads, I am starting to confuse him with the Geico lizard.
If there was ever a poster boy for the arrogant and cynical cabal of corporate enforcers into which the party of FDR and JFK has degenerated, it surely is New York's Junior Cuomo. I look forward to voting for his challenger.
Here's hoping Ms. Nixon can pull an Ocasio-Cortez style upset!
13
Change for the sake of change is what got us The Donald, don’t buy into it.
11
Except Cynthia Nixon is nothing like Trump.
7
76?
The subway is cooler.
What are we talking about here? Affordable housing? Child poverty? The problems of NYSHA?
This race is over before it started.
Get on with it.
4
MS Nixon will have a 'tough time proving her qualifications' because she doesn't have any. Democrats need a competent, progressive candidate who can score a landslide against republicans--not just in NY but throughout the country. Fringe candidates who parrot rhetoric and seek to drive the party over an ideological cliff will only help Trump and his minions.
24
It is frustrating that the article focuses on the stupid issue of the room temperature, when the real issue, the one crucial to our democracy, is the question of debating: why is it so hard for the newcomer to get the incumbent into a debate? Why does the incumbent get to call all the shots in order to 'agree' to show up? Shouldn't these debates be required as part of the democratic process? Why does the incumbent get to presume re-election without being forced to defend his policies and record? I noticed that this was also an issue in the race between Crowley and Ocasio-Cortez ...
21
"...working conditions are 'notoriously sexist when it comes to room temperature." No, they are not. Men wear pants, long sleeve shirts, and suits all year round regardless of temperature. If offices were set to 76 degrees we would be unable to get any work done. You already get to dress comfortably in each season - let us keep the A/C where it belongs. 72 degrees!
7
Can't stand the cold? How would she deal with the cold shoulder she would be sure to meet from the seasoned Republican - and Democrats - she would encounter in Albany?
6
Heat in the room? Petty beyond belief.
7
@A. Jenkins Welcome to feminism.
1
I hope Cynthia Nixon is not susceptible to hot flashes ( I don't know her age). If she is, she may be sorry for wanting a room with a 76 degrees temperature. That said, she is not qualified. I wouldn't vote for her.
14
@susan
Speaking of "notoriously sexist..."
3
“...in a pre-emptive strike, Rebecca Katz, a top strategist for Ms. Nixon, asked WCBS-TV in an email last week that the debate hall be warmed to 76 degrees...
It’s not the heat...
It’s the humidity, stupid...
5
Surprising that otherwise bright women won't recognize that dress code norms, compelling men to wear suits and ties on the hottest days, favor women. A generation of working women have learned to dress like men, or to bring a cardigan for when air conditioning is on full-blast.
7
At first, I found it difficult to beleive that the candidates couldn't reach on a compromise temperature, after the way Ms. Nixon has chosen to frame the deabte on the issues, i.e." Cuomo isn't a real Democrat but I am" it's proably not surprising Cuomo isn't keen on turning up the temperature as a gesture of good will.
While I consider myself to be a liberal democrat and Cuomo seems like no bargain, the way Cynthia Nixon has handled herself only highlights the fact that she's not ready for the big time. Whining, seems like the thing she does best.
18
This article isn't about the temperature of the room, that's just the opener.
It's about how Cuomo completely dictates the terms of the debate, with the temperature as an example along with sitting, the single hour in length, and the format. He's able to suppress any challengers by minimizing their ability to gain visibility.
26
@Charlie: hello, have you met Andrew Cuomo?? Do you know his DNA? Do you think for one second this guy doesn't know how to do a political debate? Cynthia Nixon is a poseur. And, I resent the presumption that anything cooler than 76 degrees is sexist. I'm a woman who is perfectly comfortable at 65 degrees. Anything warmer than 68 and everyone is sweltering. She is an actor, this is an act for a great show she landed, nothing more, nothing less.
18
This is New York. If you can’t gain visibility on your own merits, you won’t be seen.
3
@TurandotNeverSleeps
Charlie didn't say Cuomo doesn't know how to debate. He said he dictates the terms, which is illustrated in this article.
3
Nixon may be a political lite weight but Cuomo is sure acting very frightened of her. Nixon is going to give him a run for his money.
7
'Ms. Katz wrote that working conditions are “notoriously sexist when it comes to room temperature, so we just want to make sure we’re all on the same page here,”' Really? As a woman, the colder the better!!!
14
I'm all for a good challenge to Governor Cuomo, who seems too corrupt for our state.
But if a chilly debate room makes you that uncomfortable, and you can't manage to bring a sweater, then how in the world are you going to manage a visit to Rochester, Buffalo, Oswego, Syracuse, or Postdam anytime between October and April?
34
@Ben: because Nixon really doesn't believe she'll win. If she had the same prep advisers that Cuomo has, they would have advised her against the temperature tantrum for the very reasons you cited! Buffalo, Rochester, Albany - very cold. Cuomo, very cold and calculating indeed.
8
@Ben She wouldn't visit those places anyway. She thinks a weekend in upstate New York is sufficient to understand the whole state, or how important agriculture is to our economy. If she gets even 2% of the vote north of the Bronx I'll be very surprised.
3
I'm as liberal as they come, but come on. Wear a sweater, Cynthia.
39
@Scw
Seventy-six degrees Fahrenheit is darned hot, especially in a crowded auditorium.
If Ms. Nixon is interested in discommoding Mr. Cuomo, she is equally uninterested in conserving energy, be it electric, gas, or oil.
Well, some people are entitled.
12
"working conditions are “notoriously sexist when it comes to room temperature". what? how is room temperature be "sexist"? that's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. I know women who can't have a room cold enough, men who prefer it hotter and every combination in between.
labeling this temperature issue "sexist" just shows how modern society has completely lost its mind and quite frankly I am highly offended by this characterization.
24
When I was working in air conditioned offices I many were indeed to my taste - and that of many woman colleagues -- too cold. I used to call it "suit weather". That is irrelevant to the gubernatorial primary contest.
This social democratic Democrat will not be voting for Ms. Nixon. I do not like her inexperience. I think raising this issue at this time is a near perfect example of that. There must be something more substantive that she could be discussing.
Remember that the NY primary is on THURSDAY September 13, 2018.
17
Aside from inexperience, has she ever been in upstate NY to find out the issues in the rest of the state? I'm not talking about Westchester either. Does she know where Potsdam, Oswego and Jamestown are? While I'm glad Cuomo has a challenger, it would be reassuring to know they recognize the rest of the state.
9
I'm as much of a feminist as you are going to find, but the temperature of the debate hall is not a gender issue. She can wear a dress or suit with a blazer and make adjustments for comfort. Nixon loses points from my perspective for making this an issue. I am a proud Democrat who has used the term progressive to describe myself. But I am reluctant to use it when I see absurd non-issues like this brought up by folks who consider themselves more-progressive-than-thou. It is embarrassing and it does a disservice to the issues that liberal Democrats care about.
46
The quality of the issue that the Nixon team has raised is about the same as the quality of her candidacy - namely nil.
Like Cuomo or not, it seems to me that if the WFP could not find a candidate with something approaching credibility, rather than a TV actress who has never been an executive of an capacity in an enterprise, political or not, is an insult to the voters of New York.
I've voted for Democrats on the WFP line more than once - but no more. Cynthia Nixon is even less credible as a candidate, as was Professor Teachout, who has become a joke, running for anything in sight. At least she has demonstrated some kind of intellectual capacity as a law professor. All Nixon has demonstrated is an ability to remember lines - I assume, I've never seen her in her professional capacity.
16
76 degrees? Ridiculous. She already lost my vote - if I had the capability to vote for her.
What's up with this? It is not sexist not wanting to sweat. A normal 70-72 is what is appropriate.
May be Nixon can stand in front of a giant reflective heater while debating.
17
This silliness disqualifies Nixon.
29
This isn’t news. Can we please talk about an issue that matters? Maybe discuss an important policy position from the candidates?
5
@TomI agree. But Nixon made this news and here we are.
2
@Jack
No, the NYT made this news, not Nixon. Cuomo is the one that made all the demands, including a chilly room temperature, and Nixon’s campaign tried to negotiate their own terms (to no avail), which is what all campaigns do.
2
76 degrees? Really? I'm female and that is ridiculous!
16
See 3 August 2015 NYTimes: Chilly at Work? Office Formula Was Devised for Men. I think this is what Nixon’s team is referring to
8
I wish Ms. Nixon would have chosen to run for a more appropriate office, she might have the stuff and calling to be a fine public servant.
But I can't vote for a novice for governor, no matter how many PTA meetings she's attended.
35
Those Nixons learned about sweaty debate losses in 1960.
15
Temperatures are sexist? You can't make this stuff up, LOL.
17
Summer is the office woman’s winter.
9
Is a compromise at all possible, or are these two candidates so petty, they’ll go to the mat over room temperature? How about 70-72 degrees instead of 76?
2
@adm, My guess is that the cunning Andrew Cuomo will not rise to the bait on this or similar petty issues Ms. Nixon might raise. I mean that totally as a complement to him. He is refreshingly focused on material issues. I expect that during the debate he will treat her with outward respect while making forceful arguments, the antithesis of the not so subtle bullying of Ms. Clinton by Mr. Trump in 2016.
6
@carol goldstein- That makes sense. Nixon is a novice who lives in a bubble and it shows. This drama around the temp probably won't play well north of NYC, nor should it.
@carol goldstein
Did you read the article? It's Cuomo who made all the demands - on room temperature, format, length of time, no opening or closing statements, etc...
1
It is pretty depressing to read this article and the comments all concerned about the most trivial issues. The Nixon Cuomo faceoff is really important for the next few years of our politics and it would be good if more were at stake than the temperature of the debate room.
10
Cynthia Nixon is the Future, even if she loses to Cuomo now. That is, if she decides to stay in Politics, after this. People like Cynthia Nixon are on "The Future Page" too. Cynthia Nixon will be in the group that saves Manhattan, thus the rest of New York. Cynthia already circulates among that "Night On The Town Classic" crowd.
The Cuomo's could have shut down Trump, The Trump's long ago. So this article's Cuomo comment about using Trump's donor money to get rid of Trump, is weak. If Cuomo, and his dad, Mario, couldn't shut down Trump and Michael Cohen and all of the rest of the New York criminals, then we need someone in there, in a Leadership Position, who can.
Nixon circulates with that crowd, perhaps new crowd, that will. And when I say new, I don't mean Bernie's Democratic Socialists. Take Care, Cynthia. I am surprised you signed-up for this gig. Thanks for doing a first test run so early, just to see "what's out there" and start to get the crowd excited about the Future.... so they won't be so depressed about now, this depressing "White House Now".
3
@Kim Susan Foster
Yes Cuomo doesn't understand that he is out of touch with the rest of the country. He had his chance he decided he wanted the money more. So who loses? I don't think Nixon has a snowballs chance of winning but she is on the right page. Andy's way of (not) doing business speaks volumes. The Moreland Commission, unfair tax situation for those on Long Island; the MTA; no ethics bill despite years of saying he'd do something about it. Hey Andy YOU are part of the ethics problems plaguing NY State, you ARE part of the SWAMP. You have become too insulated and it's time you realized that. Your way of doing things are numbered. The sooner you realize this the better off New York State will be.
9
Put on a jacket.
15
Cuomo has much more to lose here than Nixon. King Andy should be exposed as a phony Progressive who, ultimately, serves the corporates and the GOP. He also likely sees one more gubernatorial term as a prelude to a presidential run. Cuomo’s accomplishments are illusory. Why is it that the 2nd subway gets completed (serving the upper east side) when the overall transit system deteriorates? We don’t we have universal healthcare in NYS? King Andy is afraid to let go of insurance company donations. Why does the IDC maintain a choke hold on state government? King Andy can exert better control than just working with his own party. King Andy’s thuggish intimidation of other politicians and agencies is mafia-like (i.e. Working Families Party). King Andy is a target rich environment regarding Nixon exposing his connivance and incompetence. Andy is running scared, or he wouldn’t have consented to any debate. He “expects” to win and that’s his Achilles heel. Nixon should present better than he does. If Nixon does her homework she should expose the fact that he really doesn’t have anything to say that voters want to vote for.
11
@Richard Mays
Please spare us the holier than though attitude where Democrats are concerned. Schumer, Pelosi, etc. al. are all Dems and are certainly beholden to their own little special interest groups most especially Schumer and Wall Street.
4
@Margo Channing
Cynthia Nixon does not accept corporate or PAC donations. Therein lies the difference.
1
Given that a debate is a duel, the challenged has the choice of weapons.
2
She has no experience and he has no spine. She can attain experience but he'll never grow the spine necessary to deal with the likes of Sheldon Silver who owned him lock, stock, and barrel.
13
Is Ms. Katz kidding??? 76 degrees is too warm. We ladies actually prefer the room temperature to be a bit cooler.
10
I don't like the fact that they call it sexist, but I do appreciate the fact they are calling out both CBS and Cuomo's campaign on this. Why should one candidate be able to dictate the temperature or he is not coming, esp if he demands "deeply chilled conditions"?
19
@VD While that's a fair point, and I too dislike it when the air conditioning is too cold, I'm just as iritated by humorless progressives who make every-single-thing, a test of political correctness, and I'm a life-long liberal.
4
I've been around any number of women having hot flashes.
I don't think a room could possible be too cold for them.
7
How about... just turn off the heat, turn off the AC and open the windows (if that still is allowed). Let nature dictate the temperature. It will be September. Right in the middle.
I dunno about “notoriously sexist”. All the offices I worked in in NYC were however always freezing in the middle of summer. And I was a woman usually wearing a suit, not a tank top and sandals. It’s a weird American thing — whenever I had to host people from other nations they always complained about the freezing temperatures and would often later say they caught a cold from it.
13
@An American In Germany
That’s not how disease works, that’s not how anything works!
@Pakky--perhaps not but your observation does touch the substance of the previous comment: the rooms are just too darn cold.
Good luck to Nixon. Cuomo is a formidable opponent.
But he just might pull a Joe Crowley, thinking the election is in the bag for him.
2
@Jean
Would pay money to see his reaction if that happened.
1
@Margo Channing
Me too!
1
Strictly as a neutral observer, one has to ask why this debate is even happening. The Governor and incumbent has a 30 to 40 point lead against a challenger who apparently can't even raise the money needed for a serious campaign. Most people in his position wouldn't even walk into the same room with such a primary opponent. He should be congratulated for agreeing to anything, even if he wants the debate hall to be chilled like a walk-in freezer.
13
A bully never changes his stripes. Cuomo and the elitist Trump are really very much alike.
16
"Ms. Katz wrote that working conditions are “notoriously sexist when it comes to room temperature, so we just want to make sure we’re all on the same page here,” according to a copy of her email obtained by The New York Times."
Oh, for heaven's sake.
She must not appreciate that most women of a certain age -- women who have climbed their ladders, know their stuff, earned their good reputations, and weathered all sorts of trials -- prefer their rooms cooler than not.
I am sure she must know that.
21
@B.
No we don't.
3
@Margo Channing
Actually, oh yes we do...
@B. Sadly, she probably does.
1
I’m a man and I agree offices are often too cold. Which is why I have a sweater handy. If that’s too much for Ms. Nixon’s sensibilities - well, let’s just say it’s difficult to imagine she’d be an effective governor.
47
We don’t need sweaters. We need full body fleece jumpsuits. It’s that cold. I literally shake at work. I go out in 90 degree weather and my body takes 20 minutes to warm up. It’s painful. I dread going into my office building every morning. I can’t eat lunch inside. And no, I don’t have any medical conditions. How about you turn down the temperature and help the environment while you are at it? Sweater...pfft.
17
"Ms. Katz wrote that working conditions are 'notoriously sexist when it comes to room temperature'
Excuse me, what?
51
@Chris
Office temperatures are usually set to accommodate men and women are frequently freezing. That is sexist.
22
@Lifelong Reader
Only young women who wear skimpy clothing.
Older women who are anywhere from 40-ish to 55 years old and who dress professionally prefer cooler temperatures.
For what should be obvious reasons.
Or don't those women count?
@Lifelong Reader Wow. I've heard some dumb things in my life but this is easily one of the dumbest. Unless you're being sarcastic...please tell me you're being sarcastic.
Nothing like playing the "sexism" card - early and often, no matter how ridiculous! If it is sexist to turn up the air conditioning, then it must also be sexist to turn it down. What are we to do? Eliminate it? Just plane silly.
31
Well, there’s 72, then 76.....hmmm, what to do? How about 74????
1
@Citizen. This is not some idea fabricated by Nixon. http://time.com/4464848/sexist-air-conditioning/
I look forward to the debate, I hope Cynthia Nixon has something of substance to say about policies she hopes to pursue North and West of Westchester County. Because last I checked her website it sure didn't.
(I will be reviewing her website again this weekend to see if anything has changed.)
23
It's true that men tend to like indoor temperatures colder than women, but I can't imagine why Nixon would want the temp as high as 76 when the room will be packed with people, she'll be under bright lights, and probably wearing a suit of some kind. I wouldn't want to be seen sweating on tv.. maybe she wants Cuomo to pull a Richard Nixon and look bad?
32
@E B
Or you know maybe she just wants to be comfortable instead of being in room whose temperature on par with a sub zero fridge.
2
Maybe she’s looking at it as a starting point. If she throws out 76, maybe they can agree to 72...
@Margo Channing
Your math is off by about 77.
1
More identity politics distracting from real issues. Don't exploit gender to get a few votes. Sexism is real and we need to fight the gender disparity and discrimination but not spend our time publicizing the more trivial aspects. Get to the heart of the issues.
36
If you come into the hall when it's empty, it might be uncomfortably cold. But when it's full, the temperature will rise significantly. Calling the temperature setting "sexist" is sexist in itself. It intimates that all women like things warmer and all men like things colder. My wife and I are the exact opposite.
52
@Tiateri
The exact opposite of what?
1
@Remember in NovemberPretty clear...his wife likes chillier temperatures and he likes warmer....
It’s not the same reasoning. Too cold can be painful. Slightly warm is not the same. Also, something called the environment would be better with les A/C. Also, did you forget workplaces in pre-A/C era? Weren’t they sexist?? And did men work without A/C? Yes.
1
I've never supported Andrew and don't plan to.
8
@Imagine
Thanks. I would have worried about that all night long.
15
Offices are, if anything, too warm. Women are allowed to wear less clothing in offices than men. We're stuck wearing a suit and tie outside in the 90 degree heat. You all can always put more clothes on. We're unable to take ours off.
Offices should be 68 and not a degree higher.
41
@Collin
How does 68 in the summer affect the environment?
Take your suit jacket off, and maybe loosen your tie. Buy shirts one neck size larger. Get some lighter weight suits.
No one needs to work in a walk-in refrigerator for appearance's sake.
19
@Collin 68 sounds just fine to this woman, although for my residence, I might keep it a little warmer in summer as an energy saving measure.
I keep my house, including my bedroom, at 58 degrees in winter. I've had zero colds since I started doing that and I sleep much better.
Had a few skin cancers after only a mild sunburn several years ago, so during the day I wear long or 3/4 sleeves year round.
2
@Steve L I would remove my jacket or loosen my tie but that would be deemed "unprofessional" so I deal with it and do my job. I guess that's too much to ask of women.
1
Nixon is a fine actor. That hardly qualified her to be governor of one of the most populous states in the country. Theatrics won't help in this case. At least Teachout brought some substance.
51
@Steve
But Reagan - a much poorer actor - served HIS state very well as governor for two terms. Ho can you just argue that away?
1
I can attest that offices are much too cold. Case in point. Outside temp is roughly 90+ degrees. Where I sit who knows but it's cold enough for me to wear stockings to work and have a space heater ON under my desk.
19
@Margo Channing So who do we cater to then? I'm always too warm in my office. At least you can put on a sweater or something and stay warm, I have to sit there in a full suit. What am I supposed to do if I'm too hot? Take my clothes off?
4
Yup, ac and space heater is typical.
3
@Rob
We don't cater to anyone how about a compromise? Do you know the meaning of that word? How about keeping it comfortable for both parties. I shouldn't have to work in sub -zero conditions with cold air blowing on top of my head and back. You can always take off your jacket. We shouldn't have to wear heavier clothing in our office in the middle of a heat wave.